Product and service changes at Australia Post
Australia Post has issued a statement outlining the product and service changes to its letters service which come into effect today (4 January). All Australian postal users now have a choice of Priority and Regular letter services for sending their letters within Australia, in line with what has been available to business customers since June 2014.
The Basic Postage Rate (BPR) has increased from 70 cents to $1, which applies to the new Regular Service.
The Priority letters service offers delivery within one to four business days depending on destination, while the Regular service is up to two business days longer than Priority.
To send a letter at the faster Priority speed, customers will need to purchase a Priority label from their local Post Office or the Australia Post online shop and place it next to the stamp. A Priority label will cost 50 cents.
Australia Post pointed out that it will continue to maintain the concession stamp price at 60 cents, which is available to 5.7 million eligible Australians, and seasonal greeting cards will stay at 65 cents. Together concession and seasonal greeting mail accounts for almost half of all mail sent by consumers annually.
The company has received some criticism for raising the postage rate, but it has emphasised that “the increase to the BPR is only the fifth in 23 years”, and added that “at $1, the BPR will remain one of the lowest in the developed world”.
Further information on the pricing changes and how the two-speed letters service works is available on the Letters page of the Australia Post website: auspost.com.au/letters.
